Education

The Drama of Art

15 July 2010
- 31 October 2010

Hugh Lane and TEAM Theatre present, THE DRAMA OF ART: PASSION AND POLITICS

Dublin City Gallery The Hugh Lane and TEAM Educational Theatre Company are delighted to present the second Drama of Art project. This programme will explore the Gallery’s current exhibition, John Lavery: Passion and Politics through visual arts and drama integrated learning strategies.

Our aim is to challenge the traditional art museum visit, by providing a more engaging experience for young people. Over the course of 2 hours students will explore one of the two themes pertinent to the exhibition Passion and Politics, followed by an experiential drama workshop.

The programme will be delivered as follows:

Students will travel to The Hugh Lane where they will be met by an artist who will take them on an exploration of the exhibition, discussing one of the two themes as detailed below. This tour is designed to be dialogic and interactive, rather than passive. The themes explored will be further examined through a drama workshop facilitated by a TEAM educational drama specialist. This dual-methodology will provide students with an active and experiential fine arts learning opportunity, which supports the National Curriculum. We can facilitate groups of 20 students maximum per session, with the possibility of running 2 sessions simultaneously.

Cost: €150 per group

Teachers may choose from the following two themes:

The Cult of Celebrity:

Sir John and Lady Lavery were the original celebrity couple. Through their social and political connections they carved a niche for themselves that gave them the opportunity to influence both fashion and politics. In this workshop participants will reflect on the lives of the Laverys in relation to contemporary society and will discuss the creation of iconic figures. What were the Laverys’ motives? How do they relate to modern day celebrity couples such as Posh and Becks?

Painting Politics:

Without commission, Sir John Lavery chose to visually record a turning point in Irish history and politics. Paintings included in this exhibition, such as The Casement Trial, The Blessing of the Colours, Michael Collins’ Funeral and the portraits that he painted of those involved in signing the Treaty, of Unionists and of Nationalists will be explored and discussed. Why did he choose to paint these events? Did he play the role of artist diplomat? How did he gain access to figures from both sides of the debate?

Teachers may take into consideration which theme might appropriately support the TY and Senior Cycle curricula as well as student interest. Relevant subjects include: Art, Drama, History, English and Religion.

A guide for secondary schools to the exhibition and worksheets pertinent to the two themes are provided on the right hand side of this page (Painting Politics to follow shortly).

For students to get the most out of this programme, the artist information and worksheets must be studied prior to your visit. These worksheets will also illustrate a variety of cross curricular approaches that can be applied in the classroom.

Please note the programme will run until the exhibition ends on the 31 October 2010. If you have any queries or would like to make a booking, please contact: